HSRA commits to one-seat ride for Anaheim

The California High-Speed Rail Authority approved the Revised 2012 Business Plan at their April 12 meeting, adding language affirming that Anaheim will continue to be a part of the high-speed rail system and committing that the Authority will work to identify an alternative that will provide a one-seat ride from San Francisco into Anaheim.

CHSRA Chair Dan Richard gave credit to civic and business leaders in Orange County, who came forward with a proposal for a lower-cost way to serve Anaheim with a one-seat ride. In particularly, the Orange County Business Council, supported by US Rep. Loretta Sanchez, State Senator Lou Correa, and State Assembly Member Jose Solario, emphasized the critical need or full high-speed rail service to Anaheim.“Once again, some of the best ideas in our revised business plan have come from the communities themselves,” Richard said. “We appreciate the opportunity to work with the leaders in Orange County to make sure Anaheim will receive one-seat high-speed rail service. Put more simply, it is our intention to provide one-seat service to both Los Angeles and Anaheim by 2028.”The Authority Board directed staff to work collaboratively with the regional agencies, including OCTA , LA Metro and BNSF, to identify an alignment that can connect San Francisco to Anaheim, using a one-seat ride, at a lower cost.“We want to provide connectivity, but we also need to ensure the project is cost effective,” Richard said. “We believe we can do it – but only through coordinated efforts with our regional partners in Southern California.”